Colloidal silicon quantum dots: Synthesis and luminescence tuning from the near-UV to the near-IR range

Date:

March 12, 2014

Source:

National Institute for Materials Science

Summary:

Scientists summarize the peculiarities of high-quantum yield silicon nanoparticles focusing on their emission, which depends on the preparation method and surface chemistry.

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In a new review paper, Ghosh and Shirahata focus on high-quantum yield silicon nanoparticles. It summarizes the peculiarities of their emission, which depends on the preparation method and surface chemistry.

In 1990, scientists reported that nanostructured silicon can emit visible light. This report opened a new frontier for photoelectronics in information technology, called "silicon photonics." Furthermore, the continuous tuning of electromagnetic emission from near-UV to near-infrared wavelengths has been achieved by controlling silicon nanostructures.

The quantum yield (QY) of this radiation may exceed 70%, and the use of silicon as the emitting material is advantageous because of its abundance and low toxicity to the human body and environment.

These advantages have been expected to stimulate the use of luminescent silicon in various fields; however, commercial applications are still lacking.

Those mechanisms are summarized to ascertain the future challenges in the industrial use of silicon-based light emitters. The authors believe that silicon nanophotonics is still in its infancy.

They predict that with high-quality materials of narrow size distribution and controlled surface chemistry in hand, novel photonic structures will be realized in the near future, including biomedical imaging devices, optical amplifiers, sensors, high-efficiency LEDs, and possibly a silicon-based laser.

National Institute for Materials Science. "Colloidal silicon quantum dots: Synthesis and luminescence tuning from the near-UV to the near-IR range." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 March 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140312103042.htm>.

National Institute for Materials Science. (2014, March 12). Colloidal silicon quantum dots: Synthesis and luminescence tuning from the near-UV to the near-IR range. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140312103042.htm

National Institute for Materials Science. "Colloidal silicon quantum dots: Synthesis and luminescence tuning from the near-UV to the near-IR range." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140312103042.htm (accessed August 2, 2015).

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